Overall Winner

About the campaign

The Practical Plastics are making a #plexit from all single-use plastics in school! They want to show dangers of plastic pollution. They can also provide examples for how plastic can be reused in a non-destructive way that won’t endanger the environment. Some of the examples include a couch, art mural, animal feeder, and plant pots—all practical plastic creations!

Activation

They created 1-Minute in a news and advertisement format to convey their message in a creative and informative way. The team has circulated their message on the school’s website, and Facebook and Twitter pages. They have also held poster and plastic building model competitions in their school. So far, the group’s film and campaign has inspired their school to ban single use plastic bottles. They have introduced reusable aluminium bottles instead. They have also changed all single use plastic in the canteen to reusable/biodegradable products.

Primary Winner

Team: Team: The T-Shirt TreasurersTopic: Energy and the Clothes You WearSchool: Burnchurch National School, Co. Kilkenny

About the campaign

The T-Shirt Treasurers have a powerful message. ‘Treasure Your T-Shirt and Join the Circular Economy to Save Energy and Combat Climate Change.’ Their extensive research into the life-cycle of a t-shirt and its impact on the environment inspired the team to promote simple actions. These encourage people to reduce, repair, reuse and repurpose their T’s.

Activation

They have spread their message to the community in various ways. These include printing their logo on used t-shirts, sending press releases to newspapers, and speaking about their project on local radio. The team also made a display of ethical fashion when they organised an up-cycling workshop. They repurposed t-shirts into tote bags - proving to everyone that Greener Fashion is the way to go!

Primary Runner-up

About the campaign

‘All Aboard the Scooter Train! Scoot Scoot!’ The Green School Committee’s One Good Idea is to raise awareness about sustainable travel. It enourages people to walk, scoot, cycle or use public transport instead of drive. The team set out to establish a Scooter Train. This is where students scoot to school instead of having parents drive in one day a week.

Activation

Before launching, the group provided scooter training and climate change workshops. These educated on the benefits scooting can have on our environment and prepare potential scooters to take safety measures. The team sent out information letters and created a rap to further promote their campaign. They also posted a video of their Scooter train in-action on their school’s Twitter page!

Junior Winner

About the campaign

Team ‘Ready or Not, it’s Going to Get Hot’ is igniting the conversation about methane emissions. The team discovered that only 11 % of the students in their school knew what methane. They learned that agriculture in Ireland is the largest single contributor to overall methane emissions. This equates to 29.2 % of the nation’s total. Team were inspired to educate people, particularly farmers, on just how we can reduce methane in the agricultural sector. They aim to encourage all of us to get the word out!

Activation

After conducting extensive research and visiting Green Generation Farm, the team suggests two solutions. First, that farmers should feed their bovines seaweed which can reduce methane emissions by up to 30%. Secondly, that farmers should use an anaerobic digester which can convert methane gas into electricity to be put back into the grid. The team’s informational 1-minute film has been shared on the local towns page and their school’s Twitter and Facebook. They have also been featured in local newspapers and visited local primary schools to present on their project. Their hope is to educate the future generation on how they can keep our planet safe.

Senior Winner

Team: Power RangersTopic: Saving Energy at School Topic: Energy and the Clothes You WearSchool: St. Attracta’s Community School, Tubbercurry, Sligo

About the campaign

The Power Ranger’s One Good Idea is simple yet effective. They want to encourage people in their school to reduce power consumption. They were inspired after discovering that many lights and devices were left on unnecessarily in their school.

Activation

To enforce their idea, the Power Rangers came up with ‘surprise attacks’ which were held during their schools’ daily power hour. These consisted of random spot checks in classrooms to see which devices were left on standby. The team’s 1-minute film shows the group dressed up in Power Ranger costumes. They acted out surprise attacks and demonstrated how easy it is to turn things off. The group also created slogans and posters. These were displayed around the school as a reminder of how important it is to conserve energy. The team circulated their campaign message through Instagram, Youtube, and local radio stations.

Highly Commended

About the campaign

‘Grow Your Own Range, Prevent Climate Change’. This is a new initiative set up by a team from Corpus Christi Primary School in Limerick. The team’s One Good Idea is to inspire people to save energy by locally producing their food.

Activation

They encouraged people to use a poly tunnel. This is to grow fruit and veg that would not normally grow in the Irish climate. Also to redevelop space to make a community garden, and to persuade local supermarkets to stock more locally sourced food. By doing this the Veggies hope that we can reduce CO2 and energy. They spread their message by designing posters and information sheets to display in local stores. They also hosted an awareness day where everyone participated in planting in their school’s community garden.